I recently saw my dermatologist (who is as white as Morticia Adams) and although I have not had much recent sun exposure, she admonished me for getting any sun, stating that it was "unwise and dangerous for someone with my condition". I use sunscreen, work to avoid any burn and only get slight tans a few times a year when on vacation - the usual reasonable precautions anyone should take. I don't want to go to the beach dressed like Katharine Hepburn in "Rooster Cogburn" if I can avoid it.

Is my dematologist over-reacting?

Response from Mr. Vergel

I say she is right, but to a point. We need some sun exposure to have our bodies make Vitamin D, a vitamin key for bone health and other important functions. 20-30 minutes a day is good.
Over exposure of sun will make you age faster and increase your chances for skin cancer, specially if you are a fair skinned person. We really do not have any data that show that we have a higher incidence of skin cancer than HIV negatives, though.

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